Turbine mechanism, more particularly for air flow operation for vacuum cleaning



1960 a. M. MAGARIAN 2,963,270

TURBINE uacmmsu, MORE PARTICULARLY FOR AIR FLOW OPERATION FOR VACUUM CLEANING Filed SG'pt. 17. 1956 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 65944.0 M. MHGHFP/A/V,

Dec. 6, 1960 G. M. MAGARIAN 2,963,270 'rvnsms macmmsu, MORE PARTICULARLY FOR AIR FLOW OPERATION FOR VACUUM CLEANING Filed Sept. 17. 1956 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 GEQALD M MAGAE/A/V,

Dec. 6, 1960 G. M. MAGARIAN 2,963,270

TURBINE MECHANISM, MORE PARTICULARLY FOR AIR FLOW OPERATION FOR VACUUM CLEANING Filed Sept. 1'7, 1956 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 will Jill a. 4b.

5 :9 GEEALD M. M/ sAelA/v, 54/ Q lf/vewrae Dec. 6, 1960 G. M. MAGARIAN 2,953,270

TURBINE MECHANISM, MORE PARTICULARLY FOR .AIR FLOW OPERATION FOR VACUUM CLEANING Filed Sept. 17. 1956 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 .ZZ/VEMTOB 6 .9mm M. MAGAE/AM- Dec. 6, 1960 G M MAGARIAN 2,963,270

TURBINE MECHANISM, MORE PARTICULARLY FOR AIR FLOW OPERATION FOR VACUUM CLEANING Filed Sept. 17. 1956 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 GEQALD M. MAGAQ/A 1v, .ZWVE/V raE.

TURBINE MECHANISM, MORE PARTICULARLY FOR AIR FLOW OPERATION FOR VACUUM CLEANING Gerald M. Magarian, Long Beach, Calif., assignor to Preco Incorporated, Los Angeles, Calif., a corporation of California Filed Sept. 17, 1956, Ser. No. 610,285

6 Claims. (Cl. 253-40) This invention relates to improvements in vacuum cleaning devices, and particularly to a drive for such attachments as roller brushes, operable on the vacuum-induced air how of the cleaner. A description of a typical and presently preferred form of the invention as so applied to a vacuum cleaner, in the form of an attachment nozzle, will biing out the various features and accomplishments of the invention; and by way of that particular embodiment, describe the invention itself.

Many attempts have been made in the past to provide apparatus capable of being driven by the air current of typical vacuum cleaners and capable of developing sufficient power to drive rug brushes. Most of all of these have in practice failed for one reason or another. Among these practical failures the following typical ones may be mentioned; incapability of developing sufficient power; reduction of the air flow at the cleaner nozzle to the point where cleaning eliiciency is very low; clogging of the air motor by dirt and debris and inability to pass such objects as hairpins, buttons, lumps of dirt or lint etc.; necessity of apparatus of such large size and weight and high cost as to make the devices impractical as nozzle attachments for vacuum cleaners and the like.

The general objectives of the present invention are to overcome those and other past difiiculties; and further to provide a very inexpensive air motor of the impulse turbine type capable, among other things, of operating in very small size and light weight, at high efficiency, on low fluid velocities, and capable of passing the dirt etc. carried on the air stream, without clogging or damage.

The accompanying drawings illustrate a present preferred embodiment of the invention as a vacuum-cleaner nozzle attachment for driving a rug brush of the roller type. In those drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the attachment, shown connected to the usual vacuum-cleaner wand that serves as a manipulating handle and as the conduit applying the vacuum to the attachment;

Fig. 2 is a partially broken away plant of the apparatus of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a section on lines 4-4 of Figs. 2 and 3;

Fig. 4a is an enlargement of a portion of Fig. 4;

Fig. 4b, similar to Fig. 4a, shows a modification;

Fig. 5 is a detail section on line 55 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a detail section on lines 66 of Figs. 4 and 4a;

Fig. 7 is a detail schematic section on lines 7-7 of Figs. 3 and 9 showing the air how in the turbine bucket;

Fig. 8 shows a variant; and

Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 6 showing another bucket conformation.

As shown in these drawings a casing, generally designated 20, encloses the mechanism of the attachment. The specific details of the casing structure are of no particular moment here. except for the features here mentioned. A wall or partition 22 divides the interior of the casing into two main chambers; an elongate brush chamber 24 which contains the rotary brush 26 journalled at each States atent O 2,963,276 Patented Dec. 6, 1960 ice end in bearings 28, and another chamber which is divided by a'partition wall 30 into a relatively large turbine chamber' 32 and a smaller belt chamber 34. Outlet fitting 36 communicates with turbine chamber 32 and is provided' with a clamping device 33 for snugly clamping it around the end of suction wand 40. The casing of brush chamber 24 has an elongate nozzle opening 42 on its lower side;'this opening allowing the brush to rotatively contact and brush a rug or other surface and forming the suction nozzle through which the air flow from the rug, or other surface, is drawn into the brush chamber 24. That chamber 24 communicates with turbine chamber 32 in the'manner hereinafter explained.

The varied turbine wheel element 50, preferably formed of two die-cast halves as shown in Figs. 4 and 4a force fitted together, is mounted, preferably also by force fitting, on one end of turbine shaft 52 journaled in a bearing structure 54 which is mounted by brackets 55 on a plate 3ii'a that forms a part of partition wall 30. That end of the shaft, and turbine 50, are in turbine chamber 32. The other end of shaft 52 projects into belt chamber 34 and there carries a belt wheel 56, preferably of the cogged or lugged type. An internally lugged belt 58 drivingly engages that wheel and an annular wheel 60 mounted on the drum 26a of brush 26, the ratio of the belt drive as here shown being about three to one. The belt extends through an opening 22a in division wall 22. A belt guard 62 is mounted on wall 22 around opening 22a and extends around brush drum 26a to protect the belt from dust and debris in the brush chamber.

Bearing structure 54; as here shown in preferred form, comprises an outer tubular body 57, supported by brackets 55 on plate 30a, and carrying the shaft journals 59 and an oil soaked wicking 61. Shaft shoulders at 63 prevent endwise displacement of the shaft. The end of shaft 52 that projects into belt chamber 34 is shouldered at 65 and a disk-shaped member 67 is force-fitted on the reduced end portion 69' against that shoulder. Cog-wheel 56 is freely fitted on 69 and frictionally bears at one end against disk 67. The disk is recessed at 71 to restrict the frictional bearing surface to an annular face at or near the periphery of the wheel, so that the frictional torque under a given longitudinal pressure is reasonably well calculable and will remain substantially uniform as wear occurs.

At the outer end of wheel 56, shaft end 69 is annularly grooved, as shown at 73 (Fig. 4a), and a spring clip 75 is sprung into the groove to resiliently bear against 55 and hold that wheel frictionally between itself and disk 67. The spring clip used here is a well known standard product and needs no particular description.

The described structure forms a very simple, reliable and inexpensive frictional drive for wheel 56, and brush 26, from the turbine. The frictional drive is so calculated and designed as to slip in event the brush jarns on the edge of a' rug, a hair pin, etc. The slippage then prevents the injury to the belt that sudden stoppage would otherwise cause.

Preferred structure of turbine wheel 5% is shown best in Figs. 4, 4a and 6. As there shown the wheel is composed of two halves 501 and 502 parted on the central plane designated 6-6. Each part contains its halfdf each of the buckets or vanes 503 and, in the form of Fig. 6, is cored out, as indicated at 504 in Fig. 6 to reduce weight and metal cost. Part 501 has a hub sleeve 505 projecting'from the face 6-6. That hub sleeve fits tightly on shaft 52. and a central part 5% of part 502 is force fitted over 505. The hub sleeve carries two integral keys 507 which fit in complementary key-ways 568 in 5%. Keys 507 project through and beyond the part 5% of the half 5 02 and are peened over to hold the halves securely assembled. Keys 507 align the two halves so that their bucket halves are properly aligned.

Illustrative and presently preferred designs of turbine element 50 and its buckets or vanes are best shown in Figs. 6, 7 and 9. In the aspect of Fig. 7 the curved bottom wall 76 of each bucket is shown as substantially semi-circular with center located at '72 at the periphery of the turbine wheel. In the aspects of Figs. 6 and 9that is, in a plane transverse of the axiseach bucket is seen to be curved in shape, both back wall 74 and front wall 76 being curved with their concavities facing in the same direction. In the specific designs here shown these curves are circular, with centers as indicated at C74 and C76 in Fig. 6, and at C74a and C76a in Fig. 9. For matters of definitition, let it be stated that each bucket opening at the wheel periphery faces in the tangential direction indicated for one bucket at D in Figs. 6 and 9. The curvature concavity of the bucket-the concavities of its two wallsface in the general tangential direction indicated as D1 in Figs. 6 and 9. To define the relations of the bucket openings and the bucket curvatures it may therefore be said that the bucket openings, and the curvature concavities of the buckets, face in the same direction about the axis of the wheel.

It will be noted that the curvatures of the bucket walls in Fig. 6 are such that the walls are substantially equidistant throughout the depth of the bucket-the bucket does not materially decrease in width toward its bottom. In the form of Fig. 9 the buckets decrease in width toward the bottom, though not enough to interfere with the flow through the buckets. The form of Fig. 9 is particularly resistant to fouling by particularly adherent types of dirt, because its bucket walls are more nearly radial than in the form of Fig. 6.

The distinctive feature of the present turbine design is the curvature of the buckets in a plane normal to the axis. In a turbine wheel of any given diameter, that curvature of the buckets makes it possible to make the buckets much deeperto make the radius r much largerthan can be had with a straight, uncurved, bucket of the type generally known as the Terry type. In general, and particularly on small sized wheels, that increase in depth (bucket diameter) makes for several distinct advantages; particularly in a vacuum cleaner application.

In the present design, air flow is directed to the turbine wheel by a conduit in the form of a channel-shaped scroll. The large intake end portion 80 of the conduit communicates through wall 22 with brush chamber 24, as best shown in Fig. 3. The scroll portion 82 of the conduit which surrounds the turbine is channel shaped with the flange edges of the channel formation closely surrounding the wheel periphery as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The scroll channel formation is curved as shown in Fig. 3 and its open inner side (radially inner side) faces the wheel with the radially inner edges 82a of its two axially spaced flanges 82b closely surrounding the wheel periphery, as shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 7. The flanges 82b are integral with the outer web 82a of the channel formation so that when the web flexes outwardly away from the wheel periphery the inner flange edges flex away from the wheel. The channel portion is of uniform width but tapers in size (in radial depth) as it extends around the wheel from intake 80, and, as shown here, it preferably surrounds only about three-quarters of the wheel periphery. Although efficiency is increased by completely surrounding the turbine with a conduit, the short unsurrounded portion is preferred in a system handling dirt, etc. as it allows the wheel to throw off matter which might otherwise adhere or accumulate in the conduit.

The conduit scroll 82 is preferably made of such material, and/or so mounted, that its terminal end 82c may spring away from the wheel to allow escape of large objects, such as buttons, etc. As here shown the conduit scroll is preferably formed of a medium-hardness rubberlike material, such as flexible vinyl, or similar material. Its large intake end 82d is secured to the conduit portion 80. In its extent around the turbine the scroll is positioned by being mounted, via an integral flange 84, on a mounting ring 86 which is carried by mounting plate 30a. The flange 84 (see Fig. 4) extends from one of the side flanges 82b of the channel formation 82the left hand flange as seen in Fig. 4, that overlies the end of the turbine wheel. Due to the flexibility of the whole channel formation its opposite flanged edge may spring away from the wheel, particularly in its portion at or near the scroll end 820. Thus flexibility allows the escape of large ob jects while at the same time the scroll is normally held in its proper position relative to the turbine wheel.

Reference to Figs. 4, 4a and 7 shows the width of the conduit 82 relative to the axial length of the turbine wheel and the bucket diameter. In the aspect of Fig. 7, the bottom wall of the bucket is semicircular. Fig. 7 particularly shows the relation of the conduit and its Width to the bucket diameter, showing also the air flow path through the bucket. The turbine wheel is, as the drawings show, located wholly in chamber 32. The airflow from the wheel consequently goes directly into that chamber and from it to the suction outlet fitting 36.

For setting up an efficient flow path through the bucket the Width of the inflow conduit must be substantially less than half the bucket diameter, preferably not more than about one-third. Some actual dimensions and other data on an actual mechanism constructed in accordance with the drawings here will demonstrate the outstanding achievements of the invention. The actual size of the successful mechanism may be scaled from the drawings by considering that the diameter of the turbine wheel 50 is two inches.

It has been found from experience that the width of the inflow conduit and of scroll 82 should be as much as three-eighths inch, as shown in Fig. 7, in order freely to pass larger objects picked up in vacuum cleaning. With relation to that width it was desired to have a bucket diameter of about 1% inches to maintaina good air path through the buckets. By curving the buckets as shown in the drawings it was found practicable to have buckets of that depth and diameter in a wheel two inches in diameter. The general results are a turbine that is small in size, compact, light, cheap and mechanically rugged. The performance efliciency of the turbine installation shown in the drawings and of the size stated, is forty percent as compared with 20% to 30% of other turbines in comparable uses.

In operation. the pressure in turbine chamber 32 is of course lower than that in the brush chamber and that in belt chamber 34 which more or less openly communicates with the brush chamber. To prevent that difference in pressure from drawing dirt laden air through the bearing structure 54 and causing frictional losses and undue hearing Wear, that structure is located entirely in chamber 32, and any leakage between chambers takes place around shaft 52 Where is passes through wall 30a. In the particular design shown in Figs. 4 and 4a, the leakage through wall 30a around shaft 52 occurs at the small clearance 67a around disk 67. That small clearance opens directly into chamber 32. Preferably the diameter of disk 67 is greater than that of bearing housing 57, and a rim 67b overhangs the end of 57; so that the leakage stream is delivered past the bearing end. Clearance at 670 between disk 67 and the bearing allows the pressure in chamber 32 to also be present in space 32a at the left hand end of the bearing, thus applying the same pressure to both bearing ends. Seeing that the clearance at 67a does not communicate with space 32a and there is no air flow through that space, the clearance at 670 can be, and is, quite small so as to exclude dirt from the hearing at that end.

- Fig. 4b shows a variation which also protects the hearing by applying the pressure of chamber '32 to both its ends. Here, for instance, the bearing structure 54 is shown as carried in a tubular support 551 that projects from wall 39a into chamber 32. The left hand bearing end is spaced from that wall; and the space 321 at the bearing end is open to chamber 32 through large openings, such as shown at 671, in tubular support 551. The small leakage which passes through the small clearance at 672 where shaft 52 passes through wall 30a then does not materially modify the pressure in 321; space 321 is in full effect a part of chamber 32 as far as pressure is concerned. In Fig. 4b a disk 674 on the shaft close to the bearing end keeps dirt out of the hearing. In this connection it may be noted that, at the other end of the bearing (see Figs. 4 and 4a) the hub of turbine part 501 does the same thing at the right-hand bearing end.

In the modification of Fig. 4b friction disk 673 is shown located beyond wall 30a, shaft 52 itself passing through wall 30a. Fundamentally, the friction disk 67 of Fig. 4a may be regarded as a part of shaft 52, the leakage taking place around that part. As compared with the showing in Fig. 4b, disk 67 of Fig. 4a has the additional function of locating and directing the leakage around and past the end of the bearing structure, rather than directly opposite the bearing end as in Fig. 4b.

The clearances at 67a and 672 are small, so that the air flow through them is only a small fraction of the flow through 80, 82 and the turbine. Inspection of Figs. 3 and 4 shows that the cross-sectional flow area through 80 and 82, from the intake end of 80 to the discharge of the scroll 82 around the wheel, is many times the small flow area of the clearance at 67a (Fig. 4a). Consequently, very little air flow takes place through the belt compartment; and solid objects picked up at the suction nozzle are carried on the major air stream through 80 and 82, where the flexibility of scroll 82 releases them. The shaft clearances at 67a, 672, eliminate all frictional losses such as would otherwise occur if the shaft passage through 30a were tight, or packed. Fine dirt which may be carried on the small air flow through the belt chamber and the shaft clearance is, in Fig. 4b, rotatively thrown out by disk 673 away from the shaft clearance; and disk 674 also throws any fine dirt outwardly away from the shaft journal. And disk 67 of Fig. 4a does the same thing with regard to the shaft journal, and, to a certain extent, with regard to the clearance at 67a.

For use in a flow of clean fluid turbine efficiency may be further increased by directing the fluid input to the turbine around its complete periphery. Fig. 8 is a schematic showing of such an arrangement. There 100 may represent a conduit equipped with directional vanes 102 completely surrounding the turbine (of the same proportionate width and relative location in an axial direction as above discussed), and forming the fluid input.

I claim:

1. In combination with a vaned motor wheel, an input conduit scroll for directing fluid flow to the wheel, said conduit scroll surrounding a portion only of the wheel in a peripheral direction, being of channel formation with integral axially spaced side flanges having radially inner edges closely surrounding said peripheral portion of the wheel, said scroll having an intake end and tapering in sectional size in the direction of rotation of the wheel from 8 its intake end toward its opposite terminal end and being composed of a flexible rubber-like material, and a mounting for supporting the scroll to permit flexure of its terminal end and of the inner edge of at least one of its flanges radially away from the wheel periphery.

2. The combination defined in claim 1 and in which the scroll is of substantially uniform dimension in an axial direction and tapers in its radial dimension.

3. The combination defined in claim 1 and in which the scroll supporting mounting connects with one of the side flanges, to allow flexure of the other side of the scroll channel and its flange radially away from the wheel periphery.

4. The combination defined in claim 3 and in which the scroll is of substantially uniform dimension in an axial direction and tapers in its radial dimension.

5. In combination with a bucketed turbine motor wheel of the impulse type, an input conduit scroll for directing fluid flow to the wheel, said conduit scroll surrounding a portion only of the wheel in a peripheral direction, at one axial side of the bucket openings, said scroll being of channel formation with integral axially spaced side flanges having radially inner edges closely surrounding said peripheral portion of the wheel, said scroll having an intake end and tapering in section-a1 size in the direction of rotation of the wheel from its intake end toward its opposite terminal end and being composed of a flexible rubber-like material, and a mounting for supporting the scroll to permit flexure of its terminal end and of the inner edge of at least one of its flanges radially away from the wheel periphery.

6. The combination defined in claim 5 and in which the scroll supporting mounting connects with one of the side flanges, to allow flexure of the other side of the scroll channel and its flange radially away from the wheel periphery.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 137,865 Richardson Apr. 15, 1873 962,364 Lee June 21, 1910 1,460,245 Hoover June 26, 1923 1,461,620 Knapp July 10, 1923 1,671,054 Welsh May 22, 1928 2,205,902 McMahan June 25, 1940 2,382,839 Wuensch Aug. 14, 1945 2,400,434 Nelson May 14, 1946 2,537,523 Frost Ian. 9, 1951 2,667,842 Shallenberg Feb. 2, 1954 2,683,276 Olsen July 13, 1954 2,812,155 Woodrufi Nov. 5, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 5,303 Great Britain 1912 26,130 Great Britain Nov. 19, 1906 564,918 Great Britain Oct. 18, 1944 808,796 Germany July 19, 1951 

